TVSquad

I was trying to figure out how to review this set. Should I even mention how great the series is (brilliant cast, brilliant writing, brilliant direction, blah, blah, blah)? And then I figured, no, I'm not going to review certain episodes or the series as a whole. Everyone knows how good the show was, and if you're a fan you already know all that stuff, so you really want to know how the rest of the set is and if it's worth upgrading from the individual sets to this new set.

Booklets: The set comes with two booklets. One is an episode guide, and it's great to finally have all of the episodes in one place. There's a typo in the list of season seven episodes ("The Last Hurrah" is mislabeled "Here Today," another episode from earlier in the season), but that's no big deal. The other booklet has an introduction from Aaron Sorkin and the shooting script for the pilot episode, both of which are taken from The West Wing Script Book. But it's a nice addition here.

Extras: These are the same extras that are on the individual season sets (commentaries, set tours, gag reels, White House trivia, etc). As far as I can tell, there are no additions in this set.

Packaging: This is where this new set shines. It's set up like a file, with each season a separate "folder" that contains the discs from that season all neat in a sleeve. The DVDs are single-sided, which should solve any tech glitches you sometimes get from double-sided discs. The cover closes easily via a hidden magnet, and there's a nice logo on the outside, along with an official seal. Really nicely done.

Should you buy this if you already have the individual sets? Hell, I would. The booklets are worth having and the packaging is really terrific. It is Christmas after all, so maybe you can convince a family member/friend to buy this for you. Tell them you'll be their friend for life.